Bhubaneswar, Feb. 21 -- The Odisha government is striving for global recognition of the historic Bali Yatra festival, an iconic cultural event held annually in Cuttack.

While replying to a question by MLA Debi Ranjan Tripathy in Odisha Assembly, Cultural Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Friday clarifiedthat there is no current mechanism for national recognition of Bali Yatra, as such status is conferred by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"There is no provision for according to national status tag. UNESCO only grants recognition for intangible heritage as far as fairs and festivals are concerned. Be it Bali Yatra or Dhanu Yatra, we are trying to ensure that they get included in the UNESCO recog...